Why Does Your App Need Another Layer of Security?

Nowadays, apps have become an essential part of our daily lives. There is an app out there for every activity of the day. Whether it be waking up with an alarm, connecting with friends through social media, or monitoring your fitness, apps surround us all.

This might be why the industry has been thriving.

According to Statista, as of the first quarter of 2020, over 256 million apps are available on Google Play Store alone. As per Build fire, an average smartphone user has 60-90 apps in their phones, out of which 25 are used per month.

While this might motivate you to launch an app for your business, know that development of an app is no longer about the value you provide to users. You must also provide a secure experience. This requires more than just offering standard security.

Instead, an additional layer of security must be added to an app to satisfy the concerns of your users. Here is why your app requires an additional layer of security.

App Users are Now Concerned

We live in a world where data breaches are common. In 2019, Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook faced various court cases against the Internal Privacy Breach that occurred on the platform.

Friend Finder Network, a website, experienced a colossal breach in its system, which led to 412.2 million account data to be compromised.

Another popular app called Mathway witnessed a breach, which led to over 25 million user records being sold on the dark web.

This calls to show that many consumers are not downloading and using apps due to the rising privacy and security concerns. Also, research indicates that this has led to deleting of apps by the users.

Apps Have Become a Target of Hackers

Once upon a time, the prime focus of most hackers was concentrated on weak links within the operating systems of desktops. Soon, these vulnerabilities were eliminated to make sure that the web browsing experience was safe for users.

Now, third-party apps and devices have become the focus of hackers. This means that hackers are now targeting the weak links within apps to gain access to user information.

Any weakness in the app can become an open door for hackers. For instance, let’s say your app is present on a phone which has a malicious malware. Your network too is at risk.

Hence, stringent app protection is necessary. So for this purpose refer to apps like AirG spam free apps, where security and data privacy is given priority. Once you learn the important elements of data protection, you can easily combat the mission of these intruders.

Here are some statistics that might put things in perspective, as mentioned in TechBeacon.

1. Seventy percent of companies listed in the Financial Times 500 have websites that are found on the dark web. In other words, they are not well-protected.

2. In 2017, 19,954 weaknesses in apps were discovered in just 1865 apps studied, as reported in the Vulnerability Report of 2018.

3. As per Oracle and KPMG Threat Report of 2018, over 45 percent of firms have experienced attacks on their unpatched cloud apps.

With such incidents prevalent in the online world, it is understandable why the masses would be wary of trying new apps before making sure that their security was foolproof. Recently, the contact tracing app created for COVID-19 was also met with skepticism for the same reason.

Businesses Don’t Just Invest in Any App

Not every app developer creates an app for the end consumer. Instead, many offer solutions to other businesses as well. Whether it be a task management app or a cloud solution, there is a lot of scope in the app sector for B2B apps.

B2B apps can help a firm in effectively collecting and sharing its data across a variety of platforms, whether it is mobile, network, peripheral, or wired devices. The smoother the flow of information is within the firm, the more cost-effectively and timely a business can serve its customers.

Here as well, adding an additional layer of security to the app is a necessity.

This is because businesses are very careful about ensuring that their user data and confidential information is not leaked.

All in all, here is why a business app must have additional security:

1. To project the right brand image – a firm wants its consumers to believe that it offers a secure solution

2. To reduce the risk of hacking from third-parties and competitors

3. To improve customer confidence in the brand and attain their trust

4. To safeguard all data within the firm

How Can You Secure Your App?

Now that you know how immensely important it is to secure your app by adding additional security, here is what that additional security should entail:

1. Data Encryption

Any and every piece of data on your app should be encrypted. WhatsApp follows it to such an extent that even the FBI has to seek the organization’s permission before using its information.

2. Use Authorized APIs

Don’t use APIs that are loosely coded. Only use authorized APIs to prevent hackers from accessing your app.

3. Two-factor Authentication

Access to your app must occur via two-factor authentication, where two different elements are required for entry.

4. Test as Much as Possible

App security is not static. It is ever-evolving. Every passing day, hackers learn how to break through security measures or find vulnerabilities you didn’t know existed. You must keep an eye out for it all and test your app repeatedly.

Ending Remarks

Yes, the app sector is very profitable. Especially in the current climate when a pandemic has restricted the masses to their homes.

But, this doesn’t mean that you should launch your app before making sure it is ready for the world. Remember, the only app is a secure app that is here to stay. Find the right niche within the app sector. And then create an app that is secure.

Your users are trusting you when they download your app. The safety of their data, as well as your company data, is your responsibility.

So, develop but do so with immense caution!

Good luck!

Author bio: Andrea Bell is a blogger by choice. She loves to discover the world around her. She likes to share her discoveries, experiences and express herself through her blogs. You can find her on Twitter:@IM_AndreaBell.